This weekend, follow the yellow brick road to Cortez Middle School for an enchanting, musical rendition of a classic tale retold by the middle school drama program.
“The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition” will be held at the school, 450 W. Second St., on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 and non-CMS students and senior tickets are $6. CMS staff, CMS students, MCHS drama program students and children 2 years old and under may attend for free.
“The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition” follows the story of Dorothy Gale as she journeys to the Land of Oz, meeting beloved characters like the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion along the way. Through her desire to go back to Kansas, she learns that there is “no place like home.”
This isn’t the first time choir teacher Marla Sitton and CMS theater teacher and director Angela Gabardi have produced this play. Gabardi played the role of Dorothy her senior year of high school. Sitton was the musical director at that time.
“This is my second time directing this play,” Sitton said. “It is also the second time doing this play with Angela. When she was a senior, she was our Dorothy. Very sentimental for me getting to experience it with her as a student performer and now as a co-director.”
“This show holds a special place in our hearts, not only as teachers, but as friends,” Gabardi added.
Seventy-one students are part of the production’s cast and crew.
“One of the best things about our shows here at the middle school are that the show is entirely produced and run by the students,” Sitton said. “We do not have any adults helping.”
Some of the unique aspects of producing this play has been found with the usage of a live dog and the construction of the play’s set.
The school’s counseling dog, Moxie Preskenis, plays Toto in the three Kansas scenes. Once Dorothy and Toto have been transported via tornado to Oz, Toto is played by cast members Izzy Caciagli and Kamryn Murphy.
The Emerald City set is composed of various green shades of fabric that are draped over flats to create the city’s buildings. A “master flat” was created by students to hide and reveal sets as Dorothy travels through Oz.
Another aspect of the play’s production came in working to nail the musical numbers and learn a big dance number.
“Some of the music is really tricky,” Sitton said. “We have had to really work on the notes for accuracy and learning how to sing in parts.”
Seventh grade counselor Carrie Schneider choreographed the “big” Jitterbug number in the musical, and Gabardi shared some students who normally prefer to be behind the scenes chose to join in on the dance.
“This number is exciting because not only does it have a large portion of the cast, but it has some tech kids who chose to branch out and be behind the scenes and on stage,” Gabardi said.
Sitton and Gabardi noted their favorite part of working on this play came from seeing the students’ excitement as things came together, as well as seeing their joy behind the scenes while working on the play.
“I think it’s always exciting for the kids to see things begin to come together,” Sitton said. “Sometimes they have a hard time trusting the process and when things just come together, there is truly a sense of wonder and accomplishment among the cast and crew.”
“All the laughter surrounding every moment … these students adore each other and it just so much fun to watch them create and giggle,” Gabardi said.
Athena Maria Sophia Cabauatan, who plays Glinda the Good Witch, shared that she was proud of how hard her fellow students have worked during play preparations.
“I take pride in how much effort everyone has put into the production. Regardless of whether they're a crew member, actor or a part of leadership, every single person who has worked for this show has added their own piece of positivity, ambition and hard work to create a beautiful piece of art and entertainment for everyone to enjoy,” Cabauatan said.
Finally, the co-directors shared their hope that the community would come out and support the middle school students and see their hard work come to life.
“These kids are amazing,” Gabardi said. “Their ability to create, collaborate and shine is outstanding. These are little humans who are putting large amounts of time, energy and passion, and they are so excited to share it with a great audience.”
“The community should comes watch these kids do something great,” Sitton echoed. “We are one of the few middle schools in the state that actually has a middle school drama program and one that puts on productions to boot. Come support us and see how great these kids really are.”
Tickets are available online and at the door. Tickets can be bought online prior to the start of the show at www.mchsdrama.booktix.com.
